AU2015238843A1

AU2015238843A1 - Hand Sprayer

Info

Publication number: AU2015238843A1
Application number: AU2015238843A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Gerhard Arlt
Original assignee: Scheppach Fabrikation von Holzbearbeitungsmaschinen GmbH
Current assignee: Scheppach GmbH
Priority date: 2014-10-14
Filing date: 2015-10-08
Publication date: 2016-04-28
Anticipated expiration: 2035-10-08
Also published as: DE102014014971A1; EP3008997B1; AU2015238843B2; DE102014014971B4; EP3008997A1

Abstract

Abstract The invention relates to a hand sprayer for weed control in gardens, farms, and on paths, having a water container (2) for storing heated water, which has a closable filling opening (1) for pouring in the liquid water and an outlet opening, which is connected to a nozzle assembly for spraying the previously heated water, having an electrically operated water heating unit (4), which is integrated in the water container (2) or arranged on the water container, for heating the water, and having a pressure increasing unit (6) for increasing the pressure of the water to be sprayed. The hand sprayer is distinguished in that the pressure increasing unit (6) is designed as an electrically driven pump (6) and a battery cell or battery supply is provided as the power supply of the water heating unit (4) and the pressure increasing unit (6). Fig. 1 hla 9 ----------- ----- ---- --- 10 16______ I 2a 12 llb

Description

P/00/01 1 Regulation 3.2 AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT ORIGINAL TO BE COMPLETED BY APPLICANT Name of Applicant: Scheppach Fabrikation von Holzbearbeitungsmaschinen GmbH Address for Service: A.P.T. Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys PO Box 833, Blackwood, SA 5051 Invention Title: Hand Sprayer The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us: 1 la Hand sprayer The invention relates to a hand sprayer according to the preamble of Claim 1. 5 Known plant protection devices are used for discharging plant protection agents. For example, for use around the house and in the garden, there are hand sprayers having a capacity of several liters, which can be carried in the hand or on the back. Conventional plant protection agents, such as fungicides, insecticides, and herbicides, have the disadvantage, however, that they are often not only toxic to 10 the pests which are controlled, but rather also to beneficial organisms and the environment as a whole. The term plant protection, in which a useful plant is to be protected against loss of yields, for example, by means of herbicides against weeds, also includes solely 15 controlling weeds, in which sometimes the protection of useful plants is not in the foreground, but rather destroying weeds for visual or other reasons, for example, to remove toxic neophytes. For large-area use, for example, on the part of cities and municipalities, weed 20 control devices are known which use hot liquid water instead of herbicides to control weeds on paths and open spaces. In this case, the stationary part of the system, which consists of a water tank, which can generally be pressurized, and a burner or instantaneous water heater, which is operated by heating oil or diesel, is mounted on a small truck, pickup, or a trailer of a tractor or truck. In this case, the 25 hot water generated thereby is discharged via a discharge lance or discharge unit on to the areas to be treated. There are both hand lances which are guided by hand and also discharge units which can be mounted on a vehicle. Examples of such devices are the Wave hot water systems of Wave Europe B.V. Matendijk 7, 6733 Wekerom (Ede district), Netherlands, see 30 www.waveunkrautbekaempfung.de, the GEYSIR hot water devices of GEYSIR Thermische Flachenreinigung, Parkstrae 100, 39326 Loitsche-Heinrichsberg, Germany, see www.geysir-pur.de, and the ELMOTherm hot water/foam devices of -2 ELMO GmbH Am Stadtwalde 15, 48432 Rheine, Germany, see www.flaechenpflege.de. In general, thermal weed control which operates using hot liquid water is an 5 environmentally-friendly alternative to discharging herbicides. Thermal weed control using hot water is based on the transfer of thermal energy to the plant, whereby the cell structure and vegetable proteins are destroyed. Liquid water has a high specific heat capacity of approximately 4200 J/(kg.K). This means that water can absorb a relatively large amount of energy in comparison to other 10 liquids, without the temperature increasing significantly in this case. Just as much energy is thus also released again upon cooling. In relation to other thermal weed control methods, for example, burning off or working with water steam, the use of liquid hot water has the advantage that liquid 15 hot water, in contrast to hot steam or hot air, flows downward due to gravity and therefore reaches the plants and also the roots well, while the specific weight of hot steam or hot air is less due to the heat-related expansion than the cooler ambient air and thus it rises upward. In addition, air is a very poor heat transfer medium. These advantages come to bear in particular in the home and garden 20 area, where the user opposes the usage of environmental toxins particularly critically. For this purpose, a garden sprayer for weed control is already known from German utility model specification DE 20 2009 015 831 U1, having a water 25 container for storing heated water, which has an upper filling opening for pouring in the liquid water and a lower outlet opening, which is connected to a nozzle assembly for spraying the previously heated water, and to which a hose leading to a sprayer is connected. An electrically operated water heating unit is integrated in the water container. Furthermore, an air pump which can be screwed into the 30 filling opening is provided for increasing pressure, which then closes the filling opening pressure-tight.

-3 Proceeding therefrom, the present invention is therefore based on the object of refining such a hand sprayer operating with liquid hot water for home and garden use, which manages without the use of spray toxins, in such a manner that more comfortable handling results. 5 This object is achieved by the features of Claim 1. The invention relates to a hand sprayer for weed control in gardens, farms, and on paths, having a water container for storing heated water, which has a closable 10 filling opening for pouring in the liquid water and an outlet opening, which is connected to a nozzle assembly for spraying the previously heated water, having an electrically operated water heating unit, which is integrated in the water container, for heating the water, and having a pressure increasing unit for increasing the pressure in the water to be sprayed, i.e., for increasing the pressure 15 in the water container with closed filling opening or for increasing the pressure of the water to be sprayed out of the water container, being closed on the filling opening side. According to the invention, the pressure increasing unit is designed as an 20 electrically driven pump and a battery cell or battery supply is provided as the power supply of the water heating unit and the pressure increasing unit. Using the pressure increasing unit, with the filling opening closed, the pressure can be raised in the water container using the pressure increasing unit enough that this pressure is sufficient for spraying the heated water. In this case, the water heating unit and 25 the pressure increasing unit of the hand sprayer are electrically operated, for which a battery cell or battery supply is provided for an autonomous operating mode. The pump can be provided in this case, for example, as an air pump for increasing the air pressure in the water container or as a pressure-increasing delivery pump at the outlet of the water container, to increase the pressure in the 30 water to be sprayed. The water heating unit can also be installed in the housing enclosing the water -4 container or can be externally attached on the water container. The power supply having battery, charge regulator, and network connection can also be accommodated in the housing. The pump used as the pressure increasing unit can also be housed in the housing. A screw cover can then be used for closing the 5 filling opening, for example. On the other hand, the pressure increasing unit itself could also be placed on the filling opening as the closure of the filling opening. Using the hand sprayer according to the invention, it is possible to implement the advantages of the hot-water-assisted thermal weed control in a relatively simple 10 and cost-effectively constructed device for domestic use, which is not excessively expensive for the end user and which is additionally as easily operable as required for end-user devices. Advantageous further developments of the invention are the subject matter of the 15 dependent claims. Thus, the hand sprayer can, according to one advantageous further development, have a pressure increasing unit which can be screwed onto the filling opening to close the filling opening. 20 Furthermore, it is advantageous in the sense of low power consumption and a lengthened time span in which the hand sprayer is ready for use without reheating, if the water container is thermally insulated, for example, in the form of a double walled thermos flask made of stainless steel or the like. The water container can 25 be formed for the thermal insulation as double-walled having an intermediate space enclosed between the two walls, wherein the intermediate space is furthermore preferably evacuated. Furthermore, the water container could be mirrored or coated in another manner on its side facing toward the water. Furthermore, the water container could be coated on the exterior using an 30 insulating layer, for example, made of plastic, such as PU foam or the like. In the case of a cylindrical water container, only the cylindrical outer wall could also be coated using the insulating layer, formed in the form of a plastic foam mat, for -5 example. In this case, a heating plate or heating coil, which is used as the water heating unit, can be incorporated in the bottom of the water container or attached below it. 5 A construction of the water heating unit in the water container like an immersion boiler, i.e., as an electrically heated heating coil arranged in the water container or, in a reversal thereof, but according to the same principle, as an instantaneous water heater through which water to be heated flows, for example, integrated in the container wall, is also suitable. This is because it is advantageous to avoid 10 accidents and because of a space-saving construction, if the water heating unit is integrated in the - preferably thermally-insulated - water container or a housing enclosing the water container. Furthermore, a thermostat is advantageously arranged in the water container to 15 control the water heating unit to a desired water temperature, which controls the water heating unit, for example, so that the water in the water container is brought to a boil before the water heating unit turns off. The thermostat can also be provided with a temperature setting, so that a desired water temperature other than 100 0 C can be preset. 20 In particular with regard to an electronic controller, a thermometer or a temperature sensor can alternatively also be provided, which reports reaching a desired heating temperature (for example, 100 0 C) in the water container, so that the controller can turn off the power supply to the water heating unit in response 25 thereto. A control unit is therefore advantageously provided, preferably a microcontroller, which controls the pump and the water heating unit in response to user inputs, on the one hand, and, on the other hand, with checking of machine parameters, for 30 example, the heating temperature in the water container detected by thermometer or temperature sensor.

-6 With regard to the monitoring of the machine parameters, a pressure buildup prevention unit is advantageously provided or comprised by the control unit, which only permits the pump to be turned on when the heat generating unit is turned off, preferably only when the heating procedure to a desired temperature is completed. 5 Furthermore, a heat prevention unit is advantageously provided, which prevents the water heating unit from being turned on if the water container is not filled. A fill level sensor, for example a capacitive sensor, is advantageously provided, wherein the control unit, or the heating prevention unit thereof, prevents operation 10 of the water heating unit upon detecting a lack of filling. Furthermore, a heat detection unit is advantageously provided, which detects whether a circuit of the water heating unit is closed, and/or whether a control command "HEATER ON" is in force, wherein the pressure buildup prevention unit prevents operation of the pump upon detecting heating operation. 15 The control unit can then comprise a relatively simply designed program logic, which is to be processed by the microcontroller, and which periodically passes through an IF loop and queries therein whether the control command "HEATING ON" is set and, if so, prevents the pump from being put into operation, i.e., 20 declines the acceptance of the control command "PUMP ON". According to a further advantageous refinement of the hand sprayer according to the invention, the water container can additionally contain an overpressure avoidance unit, to ensure that accidents do not occur. It is implementable using 25 simple means in this case if the overpressure avoidance unit is designed so that it prevents the operation of the water heating unit when the filling opening is closed, to avoid uncontrolled overpressure in the water container. For this purpose, the overpressure avoidance unit can have a pin attached on the upper side on the water container, which is pressed downward when the pressure increasing unit is 30 screwed onto the filling opening provided with a thread and which interacts with an OFF switch for the power supply, to interrupt the power supply as long as the filling opening is not closed. However, it would also be conceivable to couple the -7 overpressure avoidance unit to the above-mentioned thermostats or a pressure meter arranged in the water container. For example, various buttons can be provided as the interface for the input of the 5 operator inputs for the control unit, for example, an OFF switch for the power supply, via which the power supply can be turned ON or OFF. In addition to the OFF switch, an operating unit can have two buttons for turning the pump and the water heating unit on and off. A touch screen would also be conceivable. Furthermore, for the monitoring of the operating states by the operator, a display 10 unit controlled by the control unit is advantageously provided, for example, in the form of color LEDs, which indicate the operating state (ON/OFF) of the water heating unit and the pump, and a multiplexed dashed bar display of the detected temperature in the water container, which could also indicate a fault (EMPTY), for example. Operator unit and display unit could be arranged in a shared control 15 panel to the housing enclosing the water container. Furthermore, the hand sprayer can have a hand lance, which is connected via a pressure hose to the outlet opening of the water container, wherein an actuating handle is attached to the hand lance, via which a blocking valve is actuatable 20 between a release position and a blocking position, which releases or blocks a flow through the outlet opening, the pressure hose, and a nozzle assembly provided on the hand lance. Finally, the hand sprayer can advantageously be equipped with a mobile water 25 container, e.g. in that a handcart is provided, on which the water container is accommodated so it is mobile, or in that wheels and at least one handle, for example, like a lawn mower in the form of a forked handle, are attached to the housing enclosing the water container. 30 An embodiment of the present invention is described hereafter on the basis of the appended drawings. In the figures: -8 Figure 1 shows an exploded illustration of a hand sprayer according to one embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 shows a partial sectional view of the hand sprayer shown in Figure 1; 5 Figure 3 shows a detail illustration of an operating and display unit of the hand sprayer shown in Figures 1 and 2. The hand sprayer shown as a whole in Figures 1 and 2 is used for weed control in 10 the garden, on the farm, and on paths, i.e., is designed to be carried by a person for small area use. In this case, the hand sprayer has a housing 11a, 11b, which consists of an upper part 11a and a lower part 11b, and which is designed as a mobile handcart 15 provided with two wheels 12 and a forked handle 13. The two spars of the fork handle 13 are plugged with the free ends thereof in this case into corresponding receptacles in the housing upper part 11a and are fixed so they are vertically adjustable therein using clamping collars 26. 20 A cylindrical water container 2, which is covered on the circumference using an insulation mat 3, is housed in the housing 11a, 11b, this container having a filling opening 1 closable using a screw cover 5 on the upper side. In this case, an electric heating plate 4 used as a water heating unit 4 is 25 incorporated via a rubber seal ring 16 into a base plate 2a welded onto the cylindrical circumferential wall of the water container. Furthermore, a fill level sensor 15 is attached to the base plate 2a, which detects whether water is located in the water container 2, as well as a temperature sensor 14, which detects the temperature of the water in the water container 2. 30 Furthermore, an electrically operated delivery pump 6 is arranged in the lower part 11b of the housing 11a, 11b below the water container 2. This pump 6 is used as a -9 pressure increasing unit 6 for increasing the pressure of the water leaving the water container 1. An operating and display unit 16, which can be seen in detail in Figure 3, is 5 integrated on the upper side adjacent to the filling opening 1 in the housing 11a, 11b. The operating and display unit 16 has three pushbuttons, an OFF switch 18 for turning on and off a power supply, which is identified as a whole with reference sign 17, of the hand sprayer, a switch 19 for turning on and off the water heating unit 4, and a switch 20 for turning on and off the pump 6. The operating and 10 display unit 16 furthermore has three status LEDs 22, which signal whether the power supply 17 is turned on, whether the water heating unit 4 is in operation, and/or whether the pump 6 is working. Furthermore, a display screen 21 is provided, on which the temperature detected in the water container 2 is displayed via dashed bar display, as well as a charging status light 23, which indicates a 15 critical charging status of an accumulator cell unit of the power supply 17. A control unit (not shown) having a microcontroller, which is attached on the rear side on the operating and display unit 16 designed as a control panel, and which processes a program logic, which controls the power supply 17, the water heating 20 unit 4, the pump 6, and the displays 21, 22, 23 of the operating and display unit 16 in response to operator inputs at the operating elements 18, 19, 20 and the sensors 14, 15. The power supply 17 of the water heating unit 4, the pump 6, the operating and 25 display unit 16, and the control unit have in this case, on the one hand, the battery unit situated in a battery compartment, for reasons of weight preferably having lithium-ion batteries, which have a high charge density. A charging device or charge regulator can preferably also be attached in the housing 11a, 11b, the network connection of which is led out on the outer side of the housing 11a, 11b, 30 so that the charging of the battery can be performed solely by means of network plug and power cable. Alternatively, the battery could also be removable for charging in an external charging device.

- 10 The water container 2 furthermore has an outlet opening close to the bottom, to which an outlet pipe 7b leading to the pump 6 is connected. The pump 6 is in turn connected on the outlet side to a housing-internal pressure hose section 7a, which 5 is adjoined by a housing-external pressure hose section 7 leading to a hand lance 8. The outlet of the hand lance 8 is formed in this case by a nozzle assembly 10, in the illustrated example a single nozzle 10. Furthermore, an actuating handle 9 is attached to the hand lance 8, via which a blocking valve is actuatable between a blocking position and a release position, which releases or blocks a water flow 10 through the outlet opening, the pressure hose, and the nozzle assembly 10. To operate the hand sprayer, firstly water is poured via the filling opening 1 into the water container 2. Subsequently, the water is brought to a boil using the heating plate 4, and can then be sprayed via pump 6. To avoid uncontrolled 15 overpressure in the thermally-insulated water container 1, however, operation of the pump is only permitted by the program logic of the control unit when the water heating unit 4 is not in operation. This can be detected by the program logic, for example, in that a corresponding tag or identifier is set upon turning on the water heating unit 4, which is then erased again upon turning off the water heating unit 4, 20 and in that it is then periodically queried whether or not the identifier is set. After the heating procedure is ended, the pump 6 may be turned on, so that the heated medium is conveyed thereby with pressure increase via the pressure hose 7 to the hand lance 8. If the actuating handle 9 is pressed, the heated medium 25 reaches the nozzle 10 and is atomized and sprayed therein. The water container 2 can be designed as a stainless steel tank in this case and the housing 11a, 11b can be designed as a plastic housing, on which the wheels 12 and a bow 13, which is designed like a lawnmower and is used as a handle for 30 the operator, are attached. Furthermore, a holder 24 for the hand lance 8 can be attached to the handle bow 13, to hold the hand lance on the housing during the movement of the hand sprayer. Furthermore, a cable spool 25 for the pressure - 11 hose 7 and/or the power supply cable can be provided on the housing 11a, 11b. Of course, deviations from the described embodiments and refinements of the invention are possible, without leaving the basic concept of the invention. 5 Thus, the outlet nozzle on the hand lance can be embodied as adjustable, so that the jet width of the medium may be adjusted, to treat weeds using the heated medium in a targeted manner. 10 The hand sprayer or the water container thereof could be designed as portable having corresponding carrying belts, additionally or alternatively to being designed as mobile, or also could be designed as stationary having a corresponding long pressure hose. 15 The hand sprayer could also be designed for another suitable medium instead of water. Of course, it would also be conceivable to admix a herbicide, fungicide, or other plant protection agent to the water to be heated, if it is suitable for a temperature of up to 100 0 C. On the other hand, it would also be possible to attach a separate herbicide chamber and a metering device to the hand sprayer, via 20 which a suitable installment of herbicide may be admixed to the hot water at the nozzle of the hand lance or to the hot water jet which is sprayed out. In the case of a mobile hand sprayer, it would additionally be conceivable to also provide an electromotive drive for the travel operation, which could then also be 25 powered via the power supply. Finally, it would also be conceivable to design the water container as a pressurized boiler, to thus not only increase the range of the spray jet, but rather also to enable other intended uses for the hand sprayer, for example, as a high 30 pressure cleaner having integrated hot water preparation.

Claims

1. A hand sprayer for weed control in gardens, farms, and on paths, having a water container (2) for storing heated water, which has a closable filling 5 opening (1) for pouring in the liquid water and an outlet opening, which is connected to a nozzle assembly for spraying the previously heated water, having an electrically operated water heating unit (4), which is integrated in the water container (2) or arranged on the water container, for heating the water, and having a pressure increasing unit (6) for increasing the pressure 10 of the water to be sprayed, characterized in that the pressure increasing unit (6) is designed as an electrically driven pump (6) and a chargeable or non chargeable battery supply is provided as the power supply (17) of the water heating unit (4) and the pressure increasing unit (6). 15

2. The hand sprayer according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the water container (2) is thermally insulated, wherein the water container (2), for the thermal insulation, is in particular designed as double-walled having an enclosed intermediate space and/or is mirrored or coated in another manner on its side facing toward the water, and/or is covered on the outer 20 side using a thermal insulation layer (3), in particular made of thermally insulating plastic foam.

3. The hand sprayer according to Claim 2, characterized in that the water container (2) is designed in the form of a double-walled thermos flask made 25 of stainless steel or another suitable material having the filling opening (1) on its upper side and the additional outlet opening, wherein the intermediate space (3) enclosed in the double wall is evacuated.

4. The hand sprayer according to Claim 1, 2, or 3, characterized in that the 30 water heating unit (4) is designed as a heating coil arranged in or on the water container, as an instantaneous water heater in the water container, and/or as a heating plate (4), which is preferably attached on the bottom or 13 lower side on the water container (2).

5. The hand sprayer according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that an OFF switch (18) for the power supply (17) is 5 provided, via which the power supply (17) can be turned ON or OFF.

6. The hand sprayer according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the water container has an overpressure avoidance unit, which prevents the operation of the water heating unit when the filling 10 opening is closed, to avoid uncontrolled overpressure in the water container, wherein the overpressure avoidance unit has a pin attached on the upper side on the water container in particular, which is pressed downward when the pressure increasing unit is screwed onto the filling opening provided with a thread and which interacts with the OFF switch for 15 the power supply.

7. The hand sprayer according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a hand lance (8) is connected via a pressure hose (7) to the outlet opening, wherein an actuating handle (9) is attached to the 20 hand lance (8), via which a blocking valve is actuatable between a release position and a blocking position, which releases or blocks a flow through the outlet opening, the pressure hose, and a nozzle assembly (10) provided on the hand lance (8). 25

8. The hand sprayer according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by a handcart, in particular a hand truck, on which the water container is accommodated so it is mobile, and/or by a housing (11a, 11b), which encloses the water container and the thermal insulation, and which is preferably designed as a handcart having wheels (12) and handle (13) 30 attached thereon.

9. The hand sprayer according to any one of the preceding claims, 14 characterized in that a pressure buildup prevention unit is provided, which only permits the pump (6) to be turned on when the water heating unit (4) is turned off, preferably only when the heating procedure to a desired temperature is completed. 5

10. The hand sprayer according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a heat prevention unit is provided, which prevents turning on of the water heating unit (4) if the water container (2) is not filled. 10

11. The hand sprayer according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a temperature sensor (14) is provided, as well as a heat shutoff unit, which turns off the water heating unit (4) upon reaching a desired heating temperature, preferably of 100 0 C. 15

12. The hand sprayer according to any one of preceding Claims 10 or 11, characterized in that a fill level sensor (15) is provided, wherein the heat prevention unit prevents operation of the water heating unit (4) upon detecting a lack of filling. 20

13. The hand sprayer according to any one of preceding Claims 9 to 12, characterized in that a heat detection unit is provided, which detects whether a power circuit of the water heating unit (4) is closed, and/or whether a control command "HEATER ON" is in force or a control identifier "HEATER ON" is set, wherein the pressure buildup prevention unit prevents 25 operation of the pump (16) upon detecting heating operation.

14. The hand sprayer according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a display unit (16) is provided, to indicate operating states of the pump and the water heating unit, and also an operating unit 30 (16) for turning the pump and the water heating unit on and off, wherein the display unit (16) and the operating unit (16) are attached in particular on the water container or the housing (11a, 11b), and wherein the power supply 15 (17) having battery, charging regulator, and network terminal is attached to the water container or accommodated in the housing (11a, 11b).

15. The hand sprayer according to any one of the preceding claims, 5 characterized in that a control unit is provided, preferably a microcontroller, which controls the pump (6) and the water heating unit (4) in response to operator inputs, on the one hand, and with checking of machine parameters, on the other hand, and preferably comprises the pressure buildup prevention unit, the heating prevention unit, and/or the 10 heating shutoff unit, in particular in the form of a program logic to be processed by the microcontroller.